Improved railway-car coupling



Patented Oct. 5, 1869.

M. CONNELLY. Gar Coupling. No. 95,431.

a AM u TIM} W w i are @Biiiiifill,

MICHAEL CONNELLY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, assienon To HIMSELF AND HENRY W, ROGERS, OF SAMEPLACE.

Letters Patent No, 95,431, dated October 5, 1869.

IMPROVED RAILWAY-CAR COUPLING.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making .partof the same.

To all whom "it may concern} I Be it known that I, MICHAEL OONNELLY, of the city and county. of Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have invented a new and improved Oar-Coupling; and

I do hereby declare that the-following is a full, clear,

vertical section, throughline so; of

"ment of four principal par-ts, constructed and operating as hereinafter set forth, viz;

A headed coupling-bolt, of peculiar shape; a pair of dogs or'pawls, articulated to the draw-head, and

. operating in such a manner thatthey open to admit the head of the coupling-bolt, but close autoinati-' callybehind it, and prevent its withdrawal; a double cam-lever, which opens or separates both dogs or pawls at once, when the cars are'to bemncoupled;

and a weight, of peculiar construction, which tends to keep the dogs closed together behind the head of the coupling-bolt, and which has to be overcome by the lever, in order to allow the cars to be uncoupled.

1 am aware that a headed,coupling-boltis not new, and that two dogs, jaws, or pawls, opening by the action of the bolt, and closing behind its .head, to hold it, have been heretofore employed.

I am also aware that both weights and'springs have, been used to keep the pawls closed behind the head of the pin,-and that a lever has been employed to overcome the weights or springs, and open the pawls.

My invention does not, therefore, consist, broadly, in 'the use of. a headed coupling-bolt; twojaws or pawls to hold it in place, a lever, to open them, and a weight to close them, whether they be considered independently or in combination; but

It consists in the peculiar construction of those parts, as hereinafter specified and claimed, and of their combination, when thus constructed.

In the drawings- A is the draw-head, having a bell-mouth, with hanging under lip, as seen at a a.

B is the coupling-bolt, l iaving two heads b b, and two collars or circumferential ribs, r, so situated as to divide the bolts into three parts, pearly equal in length.

0 is the uppcrdog or pawl, articulated to the drawhead at 0, having one edge slightly cut away, or'rebated, as seenat e, so that the cam-lever will act upon it to the greatest advantage, and having a portion of its lower edge cut away at u, to accommodate'the neck of the coupling-bolt, when the cars are coupled. D is the lower pawl, articulated to the draw-head at (Z, rebated and cut away at i and a, as the upper pawl is at c and 'u, and provided with a long curved spur s, which projects down througha. slot in the draw-head, and supports the end of the weight'above referred to, as shown in fig. 1.

W is the weight, in the form of a long, flat, slightly curved arm or plate, articulated at its rear end to the draw-head at w, and provided with a heavy head, a, recessed or concave on the under side in such a man-. .ner that the point of the spur s will work back. and I forth in the recess. I

This weighted arm or plate is provided with a vertical slot, '0, through which the spur extends, and it may also have a fiiction-roller, 0, bearing upon'the concave upper edge of the spur, and thus sustaining the weight of its forward end.

L is the lever employed to'open the jaws or pawls, being pivoted to the draw-head at l, and provided witha double cam-head, G G, the form and operation of which will be readily understood from fig. 1. The

general form of the cam-head is that of the letter V, I

being pivoted at the angle.

It is evident that when the handle of the lever is thrown forward, the upper cam G will raise the pawl C, while the lower cam Gr will depress the lower pawl D, and thus the coupling-bolt will be liberated. As soon as the force is removed from the lever, the upper pawl will drop, by its own gravity, to its former posi- 'tion, while the action of weight W will bring the lower pawl up toits place.

1t will also be observed that the weight W, being independent of the lower pawl, its jumping, when run- -ni11,.3:'over a rough road, will not necessarily depress the pawl and uncouple the cars, since, when force is applied to'it directly, it may rise without affecting the position of the lower pawl.' The pawl is so pivoted that it will drop by its own gravity, when the weight is raised, and when the head of the coupling-bolt is not pressing against it.

Having thus described my invention,

What I clainl as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination, with the two pawls 0 D, the lever L, having the double cam-head G G, the latter being arranged to operate directly upon the pawls, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In combination with the lower pawl D, having the spur 's, theweighted and slotted plate W, pivoted at w, when the several parts referred to are constructed to operate in connection with each other, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

MICHAEL OONNELLY.

Witnesses: i

W. H. HAYWA D,

RICHARD NALLY- 

